Xavier
Master Chembalamsseril (1904-83,) my father’s cousin, told me that, in 1504,
the Zamorin of Calicut resolved again to try his strength with the Portuguese
and to reduce the State of Cochin to subjugation. With the intention of
invading Cochin, the Zamorin formed a combination of a large number of Malabar
Rajas and chieftains, a fleet consisting of 280 paraos and other vessels, with
a crew of 4000 men, mostly Mohammedans, and a force consisting of 80,000 men
under the command of the Elamkur Nambiathiri, the Zamorin’s heir and the Raja
of Edappally Swaroopam. His force was supported by artillery, which included
five guns constructed by the two Italian deserters. This was at a time when the
two Albuquerques sailed from Cochin to Portugal in 1504, leaving Captain Duarte Pacheco, with about 150
Portuguese army with artillery and 300 native Latin soldiers and some vessels
to defend Cochin. The hereditary ‘Desavazhi
Nambuthiri’ of ‘Oli Mana’ at Kumbalam was an ally of Kochi Raja. He and his
Nair forces actively assisted the
Portuguese in the war against Zamorin. Oli Nambuthiri
organized some of the ‘Desavazhikal’
and ‘Nair’ Chieftains of nearby
desoms especially Paliath Komi Achan (Chennamangalam), Cheraly Kartha
(Cheranellur), Mulavukad Kaimal, and Nambuthiris of Choolackal (Ernakulam),
Kanadan (Thevara,) Kavilparampil (Konthuruthy,) Koithara, Mannully
(Kadavanthara,) Palathingal (Nadama,)
Kottoor (Udaimperur) and they sent their Nair forces totaling about 50000 men actively supported Oli Nambuthiri. The large number of swift vessels like Odi-vanchi and snake boats landed in Padinjare-chira Canal at Kumbalam north,
having a total extent of about one Acre 21 cents of land comprised
in old Sy. No. 3/4 (corresponding to Re Sy. No. 4/6 and 4/3 of block 15 of
Kumbalam desom and village,
which belonged to the Desavazhi Oli
Nambuthiri. The Kandal trees standing at the mouth of the canal
coumouflaged the canal and the swift vessels landed therein. In ancient period
it was through this private canal the Raja
of Cochin visited the Oli Nambuthiri, the
hereditary Desavazhi of Kumbalam, who
resided in Oli Mana located at the north end of Kumbalam. There were two 300
year old huge Sindhoora and Payal mango
trees standing on in Sy. No. 3 of Kumbalam Village, which is on the western
side of Padinjare-chira Canal. At times the oarsmen of swift vessels used to take
rest beneath those mango trees.
Mohammedan and Nair
forces of Zamorin advanced through the territories of friendly chiefs towards
Kumbalam. They deviously took a circuitous land route via Aluva-Muvattupuzha
and then through the River Muvattupuzha, and camped at Kanjiramattom and Chembu
on their way with the intention of camping at Panangad, our neighbouring
Island. Another troop of Zamorin’s forces camped at Pukkattupady,
Kizhakkambalan, Pallikkara and Kakkanad belt and went through River Kadambra
and then settled at Nettoor, another neighbouring Island. On their way, these
troops camped out in various places. Naturally, they had co-habitation with
lots of women of varied castes, voluntarily and / or involuntarily. They also
had contacts at Kumbalam south, South-Vaduthala and Chandiroor. The ‘Naduvazhi Kaimal’ of Karappuram (ruler
of present Cherthala taluk) sent his Nair
forces and flushed out those Zamorin’s forces. The Zamorin’s forces made
several unsuccessful attempts to penetrate the landing places in Palluruthi
through the ‘Kayal,’ Vembanad Backwater,
passes on either side of Kumbalam Island. Their attempts were thwarted by
Captain Duarte Pacheco and his forces hand in hand with another 50000 Nair forces led by the Oli Desavazhi Nambuthiri. Pacheco had
the advantage of well-trained, disciplined, courageous and deft men at the
cannons. Those cannons were muzzle loading. When preparing to fire, the gunners
would ran gunpowder and a cannon ball down the bore of the barrel from the
muzzle. When ready to fire, a lighted portfire was applied to the vent. The
Portuguese cannons with a few meters extra and effective range with iron cannon
balls than the Zamorin’s low range cannons with breakable laterite-stone-balls
became the deciding factor in the war. Pacheco had also the advantage of
information. The alert spies of ‘Oli Nabuthiri’
gave advance information about the planning and the movement of Zamorin’s
forces, and this helped Duarte Pacheco to erect a stockade in mid-channel,
running the whole length of the ford at Palluruthi, just before the time
appointed by the Zamorin for making the first attempt to cross it. On the
advice of the Italians a night attack was planned with disastrous results; the
Zamorin’s forces attacked each other furiously in the darkness and many were
killed before the mistake was discovered. The setting in of south-west monsoon
and the spread of epidemics including Cholera was disadvantageous and caused
heavy casualty to the Zamorin’s forces. In the six months long war, the Zamorin
lost about 33000 (20000 of his men in battle and another 13000 by Cholera) out
of the 80000 strong Mohammedan and Nair forces who supported him. But the
Portuguese lost only one life. Because of the unimaginable number of deaths on
the opposite side, the Portuguese were considered as rude, cruel and merciless,
and their period as blood-stained. But the success was due to their weapon and
discipline of their forces. Before the arrival of the Portuguese the wars in
Malabar were only disorderly quarrels of the armed men. Their weapons were bows
and arrows, and swords and spears. The success in those wars depended upon the
number of weapons and the muscle-power of the soldiers. The style of war of the
Portuguese was different. Their weapons were guns and gunpowder. Fighting was
systematic and orderly. Consequently they used to thrash the enemies miserably.
The Portuguese proved that the power flowed from the barrel of the gun. The
Zamorin’s attempt ended in a fiasco and he had to retreat. The State of Cochin
remained invincible and the fortress of the Kochi Raja at Fortcochin
impregnable. Captain Pacheco received the admiration from Kochi Raja.
Kamouvens, a young Portuguese poet, who came to India as a convict praised the
triumph of Captain Pacheco in his poetry namely “Luciyad.” There is a saying in Malayalam, “Pata pedichu Panangad chennappol pata kuntham-kuthipitichingottu,” which
meant “Frightened by the military movement he went to Panangad where he faced a
military with spears in their hands.” Fredaric Dnverse too says, “The military
under the joint command of Kochi and Portuguese military evacuated Zamorin’s
forces camped at Panangad Island.”
Since
the Portuguese left Calicut after destroying their fortress in 1526, they had
several brushes with the Zamorin, in which the latter lost heavily both in men
and property. In 1531, the Portuguese cruisers captured twenty-seven richly
laden ships belonging to the Zamorin, and in 1534, Zamorin was defeated six
times successively in attempting to force the pass of Kumbalam. Exhausted by
these losses, the Zamorin saw fit to bury the hatchet and forget the past and
at last he pleaded for peace and a treaty advantageous to the Portuguese was
concluded in 1540, which lasted for some years.
The six
months long war created great financial burdens and difficulties for the ‘Oli Nambuthiri.’ He had to keep up his
word to the other ‘Desavazhis,’ who
extended help in time of need. He assigned the inter-mediary rights in a major
portion of his ancestral properties in the adjacent and adjoining Islands of
Cheppanam, Chathamma and some portion of Panangad to defray the expenses for
the war. The major chunks of inter-mediary rights in our properties were bought
by Thekkedath Mana (Dhamodharan Nambuthiripad
was the descendant,) Puthuva Mana (Parameswaran Nambuthiri was the descendant,) Vadakkedath Mana (Chummar Kandan Nambuthiri was the descendant) at
Kumbalam and Punnurkot (Swarnath) Mana at Panangad. Inter-mediary rights in
respect of a few items were given to Paliath Komi Achan (Valia Raman was the
descendant) at Chennamangalam, Cheraly Kartha (Kunchu Kartha was the
descendant) at Cheranellur, Choolackal Mana (Vakko Kakki was the descendant) at
Ernakulam, Kanadan Mana (K.P.T. Thomas was the descendant) at Thevara and
Kottoor Mana (Kuruvila Ulahannan was the descendant) at Udaimperur. Major
portions in Panangad, Udyathumvathil and Kumbalam remained with the Desavazhi, Oli Nambuthiri. I appreciate
the selflessness of my ancestor, Oli
Nambuthiri; he suffered the financial losses in the larger interest of the sovereignty,
and security of the erstwhile State of Cochin, and to preserve the dignity and honour,
and life and property of his subjects who were dependant on him.
Those Nair families with whom the Mohammedan
men among Zamorn’s forces had polluted were subsequently out-casted and
ostracized by the ‘Nair Madambis.’ Later, they were converted into the
Muslim faith. Some of these converts belonged to the ‘Nair Madambi’ families. Mundempilly,
Ponnapilly, Murikkel presently at Kumbalam and Vathapilly, Arupilly and
Eramangalam at Panangad were some of the important Nair families converted into the Muslim faith.
The
decentralized set up of
‘Desavazhis’, who were financially stable and had adequate military
strength, was always a headache for the colonialists. The ‘Desavazhis’ often refused to oblige the Europeans, and there were
a lot of small fights here and there, which caused casualty to the
colonialists. For instance, in 1516 some Portuguese men went on a hunting spree
and they shot down a few peacocks at Puthencruz. The Nairs protested stating that the peacock is the vehicle of Lord
Muruga. A fight that ensued between the Nairs
and the Portuguese men at Puthencruz resulted in the killing of four Portuguese
men. Pursuant to the above incident, the Kochi Raja issued a Royal Proclamation,
“Nobody shall shoot or kill peacocks,” one of the first ordinances to protect
wild life.
Excerpts from
NEED OF THE HOUR
By
Joseph J. Thayamkeril,
Lawyer, Cochin
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril.google.com
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